Steam Shatters Its Own Record for Online PC Players Again

Steam has once again set a new record for the highest number of concurrent PC players online, reaching an astonishing 38,366,479 players on September 22, 2024. This new milestone surpasses the previous record by over a million players, which was achieved just last month, largely thanks to the highly anticipated release of the hit game Black Myth: Wukong.

So, what drove this surge in players over the weekend? The usual favorites dominated the top 10 most-played games on Valve’s platform. Titles like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and PUBG were joined by newcomers such as Black Myth: Wukong, Satisfactory 1.0, Space Marine 2, and Valve’s own Deadlock. Additionally, last week saw the debut of PlayStation exclusives God of War Ragnarok and Final Fantasy 16 on Steam, contributing to the impressive player count.

Steam's popularity continues to rise as Valve strengthens its hold on the PC gaming market. Competing platforms like the Epic Games Store and CD Projekt’s GOG hold only a small share of the gaming landscape, while Steam consistently breaks records, even during perceived downturns in the industry. The introduction of the Steam Deck has also expanded the ways players can access their favorite games.

The big question now is whether Steam can reach that coveted 40 million concurrent players mark. With the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 next month, it certainly seems like a possibility!

Trivia about Steam:

Steam was launched in September 2003 as a platform for automatic updates for Valve games, but it has since evolved into the largest digital distribution platform for PC gaming.

In 2017, Steam introduced the Steam Workshop, allowing users to create and share content for games, which has significantly boosted community engagement.

 
Steam's seasonal sales events, like the Summer Sale and Winter Sale, are famous for offering massive discounts and attracting millions of players eager to snag deals.

 
The platform supports a wide range of games, from indie titles to AAA blockbusters, and has a robust user review system that helps gamers make informed decisions.